Dual control lift mechanism



April 1940- R. A. AUCION 2,197,064

DUAL CONTROL LI FT MECHANISM Original Filed Nov. 21, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet1.

April 16, 1940.

R. A. AUCIQN 2.197.064

DUAL CONTROL LIFT MECHANISM Original Filed Nov. 21,1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2l 12 .3, Jay. 4. 21 11 .2. fi.fl.flzacaz'rz April 1 1940.

DUAL CONTROL LIFT MECHANISM Original Filed Nov. 21, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet3 gwuc nkor jiziflacaz'iz R. A. AUCION I 2,197,064 M Patented Apr. 16,1940 DUAL CONTROL PATENT OFFICE LIFT MECHANISM Riley A. Aucoin, Overton,Tex.

Application November 2 1,1936, Serial No. 112,135

Renewed September 26, 1938 '7 Claims.

This invention relates to mechanism for use in oil wells whereby oil atlow fluid levels can be made to flow by the application of air or gasunder pressure and supplied to the interior of the tubing string fromthe annular space between the tubing and the casing, a dual valve of newand novel construction being-utilized for controlling the action of theair or gas.

With the foregoing and other objects inview which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details ofconstruction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully describedand pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may bemade in the construction and arrangement 0! parts without departing fromthe spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanyingdrawings the preferred form of the invention has beenshown.

In said drawings t Figure 1 is a view partly in section and. partly inelevation with parts broken away and illustrating, more or less indiagram, the application of the invention to-anoil well. I

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section through the dual control valveshowingthe parts in one position. p v

Figure 3 is a similar view showing the parts in another position.

a third position.

Figure 5 is another view similar to Figure 4 and showing the parts in afourth position. Figure 6 is a section on line 6-45, Figure 5.

Figure '7 is an enlarged section on line 1-4, Figure 5.

'Referring to the figures by characters of reference' A designates awell casing in which is suspended a string of tubing indicated at B, thesaid such as a gas input C. a flow line D, and valves and pressureindicators, etc., as indicated at E 50 and a packer K can be seated inthe casing A and around the tubing below the perforations J. It is to beunderstood that this described construc tion is only one of severalwhich can be used and Figure 4 is a similar view showing the parts 1well being equipped with'the usual connections,

formed in the tubing above the standing valve with which can beassociated the present improve- I ments which, as illustrated at L, canbe located at difierent elevations along. the tubing.

Each of the structures constituting the present invention is in the formof a coupling I adapted to be interposed between two sections of tubingso as to join them. This coupling has a casing 2 extending outwardlytherefrom and longitudinally thereof, and extending longitudinallythrough this casing near one side thereof is a bore 3 which can beclosed atits upper end in any suitable manner, as by means of aremovable plug 4 while seated in its lower endis a lock nut 5 in theform of a ring on whichbears a ring 8 screwed into the bore andconstituting a bumper.

The upper portion of the bore 3 is enlargedor counterbored as indicatedat I and communi-' cates through a port 8 with the interior of thecoupling I.

A second bore 9 is extended upwardly into the casing2 at one side ofthebore 3. The upper end portion of this bore is reduced in diameter asindicated at l0 and terminates within the casing 2. A port ll connectsthe upper portion It of bore 9 with the bore 3 and that portion ofthebore 3 between port H and the counterbore l is screw-threaded asshown atl2 for engagement by a tubular member l3 the lower end of which isflared to provide a valve seat M a portion of which alines with aportion of the wall of the port I I, A lock nut in the form of a ring l5engages the threads l2 and bears on the tubularjmember l3 for thepurpose of holding it in proper position.

At an intermediate point between bumper 6 and port 1 l, the bore 3 hasits wall threaded'as shown at [6 and this threaded portion. is engagedby a guide ring and abutment H on which is alsoseated a lock nut l8 inthe form of a ring. This combined guide and abutment I! has a socket I9in its lower face. Mounted to slide within the guide I! is an an-Ari-adjusting nut 24 is mounted on a threaded portion 25 of the stem20'.) This nut is engagedby 40 gular stem. 20 carrying the main valve 2|which l4. Another angular stem 23 extends upwardly I from the valve soas to work within the tubular one end of a coiled spring 26 mounted onthe stem and the other endof which projects into socket l9 and bearsagainst the guide member ll. By means'of a lock nut 21 the adjusting nut24 can be held in any position to which it may be moved. The lowerportion of stem 20 is angular as indicated at 28 and works I within thebumper 6 and its lock nut 5.

Seated in the upper end of the enlarged portion of bore 9 which is belowport II, is a screwthreaded ring 29 having a flared lower end 30 forminga valve seat.

At a point below the valve seat 30, the bore 9 has its wallscrew-threaded, as shown at 3| and this screw-threaded portion isengaged by a ring 32 flared at the top to provide a tapered seat 33. Alock nut in the form ofa ring 34 -is seated under the ring 32 as shown.

An auxiliary valve 35 is located between the two seats 3!) and 33 andhas its upper and lower portions tapered as shown at 36 and 3'!respectively. An angular stem 38 extends upwardly from the valve intothe reduced portion H) of bore 9 while another angular valve stem 39extends downwardly from the valve and is guided within ring 32 and nut3t.

As before stated a series of these valves can be placed along the stringof tubing from the surface downward in a well and are indicated at L. Indescribing the operation of the device it is to be understood that theword gas used is not intended to limit the use of the valve to thecontrol of gas but itis to be considered as sufiiciently broad to applyto either air or gas.

Assuming that the valves are open as shown in Figure 2, gas isintroduced into the annular space between the casing A and the tubing B.Thus there will be setup a flow of gas through the ports or openings inthe rings 3 -1 and 32 and around auxiliary valve 35 to port H and thenceover the open valve 22 and along stem 23 to the upper portion '5' of thebore where it can flow through port 8 into the coupling When the gasreaches a predetermined velocity, due to the difference in pressures onthe inside of the tubing and between the tubing and the casing, theauxiliary valve will be'moved against its seat 30, as shown in Figure 3.

It might be stated that while the auxiliary valve 35 was open, as inFigure 2, the main valve 22 was also open as shown in said figure andgas was not only flowing upwardly through the bore 9 to port I! but wasalso flowing upwardly within bore 53 and around the main valve 2| to theport 8, the pressure of the gas serving to hold the nuts 2 and 27slightly away from the bumper 6 but the tension of the spring 26 servingto maintain valve 2| away from its seat l4. Consequently this valve 2|will remain open longer than will valve 35 the movement of which isresisted solely by its weight. The action of the spring in keeping valve2! open will be supplemented by,

the pressure of the gas admitted past the open auxiliary valve 35.

Ultimately the pressure of gas against the auxiliary valve 35 will raiseit to its seat 30. Consequently the difference between the pressureinside of the tubing and that outside of the tubing will be increasedwith the result that the main valve H will be caused to move upwardlyagainst the action of spring 25 until it reaches its seat l4 whereupongas will be cut ofi from the port 8. During this upward movement of themain valve 2| it will reach a point opposite port H, as, shown inFigureB, at which time the pressure exerted will cause the auxiliaryvalve 35 to move downwardly from its seat 36. This is shown in Figure 4.Consequently a large charge of gas is rushed around the valve 2 i,causing it to snap against its seat M as shown in Figure 5. valve 35,which has dropped to its lower seat 33, will'remain in this positionuntil a fluid head is built up within the tubing, causing sufiicientpres- The auxiliary sure to be exerted on the main valve 2| to cause itto leave its seat M. The pressure thus exerted, supplementing thetension of spring 26, must exceed the pressure in the space between thecas be used separately as a. flow valve, nevertheless the two valveshave been combined in the present instance in order to obtain a widerrange of closing pressure differentials. When both valves, numbers 2|and 35, are in their opened positions and gas pressure is applied, thegas will first pass through the auxiliary-valve, forcing valve number 35away from its lower seat, because there is less resistance through thisside than passing through the ports numbers 5 and 6 and forcing up thelock washer number 21, which is held against the port innumber 6 by thetension in the spring number 236. Other hindrances to the passage of gasthrough the main valve are: the

spring, number 26, spring support and valve stem guide, number ii, andclearance between valve number 2| and the side walls. I

Since gas will first pass through the auxiliary valve and enter the mainvalve chamber through port number N, a turbulence is created above valvenumber 2| and valve seat number It. This causes enough force to keepvalve number 23 away from its seat until valve number 35 is seated inits upper position. This insures a set differential in pressure beforethe main valve functions in closing, regardless of the tension in thespring number 26. Immediately after valve number 35 closes and'theturbulence above valve number 2| is stopped, .then valve number 21;moves upward against its upper seat and seals 01f the only port enteringthe tubing column; At this time, the pressures are equalized in the twovalves and the auxiliary valve will drop open.

The cycle will repeat itself as soon as a predetermined differentialpressure on each side of the main valve number 2| is reached, and thisvalve leaves its upper seat.

What is claimed is l. A dual control valve including a coupling Q forwell. tubing having a liquid .fiow passage therethrough, an extensionthereinhaving a main bore opening at its upper end into the coupling andat its lower end into the space outside the coupling, there being asupplemental bore in the extension opening at itslowe'r end into saidspace and at itsother end into the main bore, a normally open springrestrained valve in the main bore, an auxiliary valve in thesupplemental bore, and upper and lower seats cooperating 'therewit saidauxiliary valve normally engaging its lower seat by gravity;

2. A dual control valve'includinga coupling .for well tubing having a.liquid flow passage therethrough, an extension therein having a mainbore opening at its; upperend into the coupling and at its lower endinto the space outsidethe coupling, there being asupplemental bore in'theextension opening:v at its lower end into said space, a valve seatin the main bore, upper and lower valve seats in the supplemental bore,there'being a'port opening into the main bore below the valve seattherein and into the supplemental bore above the upper valve seattherein, a spring restrained main valve in the main bore below andnormally removed from its seat, and an auxiliary valve in thesuplemental bore between the seats in said bore and normally resting bygravity on its lower seat.

3. A dual control valve including a coupling for well tubing having aliquid flow passage therethrough, an extension therein having a mainbore opening at its upper end into the coupling and at its lower endinto the space outside the coupling, there being a supplemental bore inthe extension opening at its lower end into said space, a valve seat inthe main bore, upper and lower valve seats in the supplemental bore,there being a port opening into the main bore below the valve seattherein and into the supplemental bore above the upper valve seattherein, a main valve in the main bore below and normally removed fromits seat and movable across the port below the seat, an adjustablespring for holding the main valve normally spaced below its seat, and anauxiliary valve in the supplemental bore between the seats in said boreand normally resting by gravity on its lower seat.

4. A' dual control valve including a coupling for well tubing having aliquid flow passage therethrough, an extension therein having a mainbore opening at its upper end into the coupling and at itslower end intothe space outside the coupling, there being a supplemental 1 bore in theextension opening at its lower end.

into said space, a valve seat in, the mainvbore',

upper and lower valve seats in the supplemental bore, there being a portopening into the main bore below the valve seat therein and into the.supplemental bore above the upper'valve seat therein, a main valve inthe main bore below and normally removed from its seat and movableacross the port below theseat, a stem depending therefrom, a spring onthe stem, means adjustably mounted on the stem and in the borerespectively for varylngthe normal tension of the spring, said springconstituting-means for holding the valve normally spaced downwardly fromits seat, an adjustable bumper in the bore for limiting the downwardmovement of the valve from its seat, and an auxiliary valve in thesupple-f mentalbore between its seats and normally resting by gravity onits lower seat. I

5. The combination with a well casing and tubing sections suspendedtherein forming an annular space between the casing and tubing, of aseries of superposed couplings each joining two sections of tubing, eachcoupling including a side extension having main and supplemental boresextending upwardly therein and opening at their lower ends into saidspace, there being a port connecting the upper portion of the main andspaced from its seat, and an auxiliary valve in the supplemental borebetween the upper and lower seats and normally resting by gravity on thelower seats '6. The combination with a well casing and string of tubingsections therein forming an annular space between the casing and tubing,a series of superposed couplings each joining two sections of tubing,each coupling including a housing having a lateral extension, a verticalpassage thru said extension, means to close one end of said passage, aninlet from the passage in the extension into the interior of thecoupling, a valve stem slidablein said passage, a valve on said stem, avalve seat in said extension below said inlet to receive :said valve toclose said passage in the coupling, a valve spring about said sternbelow said inlet; means on' the stem to receive oneend of said spring,means in said extension and'below said valve seat to receive the otherend of said valve spring so that said spring normally exerts a force tohold said valve 7 open, and an entry into the vertical passage in saidextension at the bottom thereof for fluid under pressure from theannular space between the casing and tubing which fluid passes saidvalve so that the valve maycontrol the flow of fluid. H

7. The combination with awell casing and string of tubing sectionstherein forming an annular space between the casing and tubing, a seriesof superposed couplings each joining two sections of tubing, eachcoupling including a housing having a lateral extension, a'verticalpassage thru said extension, means to close one I end of said passage,an inlet from the passage into the interior of the coupling, a valvestem slidable in said passage in the extension, a valve on said stern, avalve seat in said extension below said inlet to receive said valve toclose I said passage in the coupling, a valve spring about said stembelow said inlet, means on the stem I to receive one end of said spring,means in said extension and below said valve seat to receive the otherend of said valvespring so that said, spring normally exerts a force tohold saidvalve open, and an entry into the vertical passage in saidextension at the bottom thereof forfluid" underpressure from the annularspace between the casing and tubing which fluid passes said valveso thatthe valve may control the flow of 'fluid, said means on the valve stembeingadjustable to vary the force of the spring.

RILEY Aoo'om.

